New Abalone Tagging RequirementThe Commission adopted a number of changes to current abalone fishingregulations:

1. Each abalone report card will be sold with 24 detachable tags that are affixed to the bottom of the card. For each abalone taken, the cardholder must record the date, time, and location of catch on both the tag and the card. Each abalone must be tagged and the catch recorded immediately after the cardholder exits the water.

2. Abalone divers will need to have their card in their immediate possession while diving, and will be required to tag each abalone they take in addition to reporting their catches.

3. Every abalone taken or possessed must be tagged, regardless of whether the person checked with an abalone in possession is the person who actually caught the abalone.

4. Tags must be used in sequential order, and may only be used once.

5. Each tag must be securely fastened to the shell of the abalone by passing a “zip tie”, string, line or other suitable material through a siphon hole on the abalone shell and also through the tag itself.

6. Cardholders may not remove the tags from the card until immediately prior to affixing to an abalone; once they are removed they are considered “used”.

7. All 24 tags must be accounted for at all times. For previously used tags that have been removed from the card, there must be a corresponding record on the abalone report card that an abalone was taken at a specified date, time and location.

8. Used abalone tags must be left affixed to the shell until the abalone is processed for immediate consumption.

9. It is a violation to possess any used abalone tags that are not attached to an abalone shell.

Spiny Lobster Reporting Requirements 

Starting in Fall 2008, persons fishing for or taking spiny lobster must have a lobster report card. The purpose of the new reporting requirement is to monitor recreational catch, effort and the gear used in the recreational lobster fishery. Regulations require that prior to beginning fishing activity the cardholder must record the month, day, location, and gear code on the first available line on the report card. When the cardholder moves to another location, or finishes fishing for the day, he or she must immediately record on the card the number of lobster kept from that location. Unlike abalone permit report cards, an additional card may be purchased in the event an individual fills in all lines and returns a spiny lobster report card.

Changes to Salmon Reporting Requirements 

Anglers fishing for salmon in ocean waters will no longer need a salmon report card. Previously, regulations required anglers fishing in ocean waters from Horse Mountain to the Oregon border to purchase and complete a salmon report card documenting any fishing activity. Beginning in 2008, a salmon report card will be required only for anglers fishing in the Klamath-Trinity watershed.The format of the card was also changed to collect adult and jack Chinook salmon retention and release information, Coho salmon release information, and record salmon fin clip information to augment the existing data for Klamath-Trinity salmon stocks. 

Take Note! Things You’ll Need to Know When Purchasing a Report Card

1. All entries made on any report card or tag must be legible and in indelible ink.

2. The cardholder is responsible for entry of the following information at the time of report card issuance:         

     a. The date that the report card is issued

     b. The cardholder’s name, street address, city, state, zip code, home phone, and date of birth.

     c.  If the cardholder has a driver’s license or DMV identification number, this information shall also be provided. 

     d. If the cardholder is required to have a sport fishing license, the type of report card and the card number must be written on the fishing license, and the license number must be written on the report card.

     e. Cardholders must return their card by January 31 of the following year to the Department at the address specified on the card. Note that any person who fails to return his or her report card to the Department by the deadline may be restricted from obtaining the same card in a subsequent license year or may be subject to an additional fee for the issuance of the same card in a subsequent license year.

     f. For abalone and sturgeon report cards, only one report card may be issued per person per license year, to ensure compliance with annual bag limits. While the proposed regulations do provide a mechanism for a replacement card in the event the original is lost, cardholders should be advised they will need both a photocopy of the original report card issued in the cardholder’s name, and proof of purchase of the original report card in the form of an itemized receipt, credit card billing statement, invoice, or other written business record expressly documenting that a report card for the particular species was purchased and the corresponding fee was paid.

     g. Report cards may not be transferred to another person.

8. No person may possess any report card other than their own.